At last -Moving to Thailand but advice required.

[DrJack54]

@Sheryl had couple of people asking about health insurance in this thread.

I don't mean the 10k covid insurance.

Do you have any advice on health cover for living in Thailand ongoing. 

@stix40 hopefully you will obtain some advice. 

[ivor bigun]

do as Uban Joe said ,get your British marriage legalized ,very important ,we were married in the UK and had to do this.

[woodsplinter]

tao now

 

You may be right about the Thai banks in the last financial crisis but everything else crashed and lasted for years. Look at the derelict skyline of Bangkok with unfinished skyscrapers all over the place. Many businesses were devastated and bankrupted. The effect lasted for years.

 

Please check your facts as recently  (In The past) 2 or 3 weeks the Thai banks were downgraded from AAA+ and the worry appearing was about personal debt being so high in Thailand.

Ask why the liability was reduced from 5 million to 1 million per account for bank failure or was this done just as a joke. Something not right. The warning signs are staring to flutter. 

I will ignore your click bait question about not affording to retire in Thailand.

The answer to that is --none of your business.

[woodsplinter]

As advised by previous posters i have now booked a flight - one way from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City on the 14th of July. Thanks for pointing that out.

That will be 29 days after our entry to Thailand on the 15th June. 2022 by Finnair on a one way Ticket.

I will call this ticket -The throwaway ticket as i hope i do not have to use it.

 

I am still having to digest how to go about legislation or legalised  an UK marriage certificate and as posters have stated needs to be done now and in the uk. I do not understand it yet and for some reason never heard of it before.

There is a list off phone numbers off translators  and an e-mail address .i will try and find out how to go about this tomorrow  and what is required.

I have not a clue just now!

Thanks for the helpful replies and the saga carries on..

 

[cdemundo]

19 hours ago, flexomike said:

two things to consider if he comes in visa exempt he will need an exit ticket to get on an airline, as explained in a previous post he can get a cheap throw away ticket, secondly if he is going the marriage route does he have his marriage registered in Thailand, this can involve some extra work

 

 

One source for the onward ticket is onwardticket.com, it may be less expensive than buying a throwaway ticket.

AS I understand it they essentially buy a throwaway ticket in your name and get a refund after you travel so it can be cheaper than buying the throwaway yourself, especially if you are buying two..

Also, apparently it is the airline (that your are flying one way on) rather than immigration that concerns themselves with this, so no worries once you have reached your destination.

[ubonjoe]

8 hours ago, woodsplinter said:

I am still having to digest how to go about legislation or legalised  an UK marriage certificate and as posters have stated needs to be done now and in the uk. I do not understand it yet and for some reason never heard of it before.

If you open the the file I posted a link to before you will see this. It seems to fairly clear to me.

Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

[howerde]

Follow ubonjoes advice above, it is quite  simple to follow, i have added a link for the 1ST step to get your certificate legalized

https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

[woodsplinter]

Update from yesterday--

And thanks to cdemungo for letting me know that once i clear check in with Finnair in London 1 way-and can prove i  have on on going ticket 29 days later which i have now then once landed in Bangkok all should be good.

So that one worry less.

 

So yesterday And thanks to all-- including Dr jack- Howerde - Ubonjoe-and anybody else for giving us your time on this.

 

I used the link that one off you guys posted which gave me the Thai Embassy London Uk.

On that list was a list of translators . The nearest to me was a Thai Lady Who lived in Kirriemuir Scotland. Thats in the middle of nowhere..

As not having a clue and where to Start i thought i will phone her and see if she knows what to do.

 

Her phone line was dead but she answered her mobile.

Turns out she had moved to Dundee and She had asked the Thai Embassy London to change her address and phone number a few times but they did not do.

 

So this Thai lady new what to do -She is very switched on and actually works in the nine wells hospital in Dundee.

 

So first thing you do is get a solicitor  and get your passport Notarised i think they call it.. Its basically Checked and stamped and verified its me with the accompanying documentation.

 

So -3 phones calls and 1.5 hours later i am sitting in a solicitors office getting this done for £75.00 Took 15 minutes.

Next drove up to Dundee.

Met this Thai lady at her home.

All organised. Had the form ready for me although written in Thai.

Signed a couple off documents - checked over documents-leave it with me -I will deal with it now.

 

What happens .

This all gets sent down to Thai Embassy London for Whatever then gets posted out to you when approved between 14 and 21 days later .Must be signed for and tracked.

 

She then stated that yes this can only be done in the uk now --Not in Thailand and also and there must be many Thousands off  Thai Lady pass the Life in the UK exam and receive a British passport every year.

She stated it is similar to the above and must now only get done in the uk also.

This lady can also do for you .If enough time can be done by post.

Please take note off these changes now.

The Thai Consulate in Glasgow is now closed down for ever as the consulate has retired.

Please also note any consular services in Scotland is finished and  must now be done down in England.

 

Cost was--Lawyer £75.00

Translation off 2 documents £180.00

Legislation service from FCDO And Thai Embassy  £260.00 

 

Total yesterday and with a turnaround off 4 hours - hand delivered £515 .00

 

A bit expensive yes. But if I was in Thailand and found out about this It would have been to late and  cost me a fortune in flights hotels and travel costs ete to put right..

Thks  to all you guys out there and this forum. There is a wealth of Knowledge out there and that is what forums are all about.

[woodsplinter]

If the admin keep this thread open I will report back what is happening as myself and wife should- no - will be back in Thailand in 3 weeks time.

The Thai Embassy London will be posting the documents back To my sisters House in Wokingham as we are spending our last 5 days in the UK saying our good byes there. If i do not receive the documents before we leave my sister will air courier the docs out to Thailand. So that should be that taken care off.

 

If and there will be people following in our foot steps regarding the services of a Thai lady translator in Scotland and need help with the Thai Embassy London Private PM me and i will put you InTouch .

 

I am in touch privately with a party in Thailand who has contacted me and is trying to help.

We still have the retirement saga to go through in Thailand but at least now when i get these documents back it can all be dealt with in Thailand.

Thanks to all. More to come.

[proton]

On 5/19/2022 at 2:24 PM, howerde said:

Is there anything apart from my marriage certificate i need to bring Thailand with us.

The Thai Embassy London is a no no.

 

Your UK marriage certificate will not be accepted by the Thai authorities, unless you have it legalized by the Thai embassy in London then have it translated and presented to  the MFA in Bangkok, only then you can register it at an amphur, only then will immigration accept it for any marriage extension of stay.

Nothing any agency can do unless they use false documents, then you will be in a world of pain

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/81905-legalisation?menu=5d6636ce15e39c3bd0007344

Large supply of wax earplugs from Boots!

[woodsplinter]

Thanks ubonjoe

 

Did not even know they had a legislation office here..

Thks

[fvw53]

40 minutes ago, proton said:

Large supply of wax earplugs from Boots!

I can only write my experience but it happened in 1989 after our marriage in Belgium

1) city hall issues a copy of the marriage certificate

2) Foreign Ministry in Brussels legalised this

3) Belgian Embassy in Bangkok legalised the above

4) we got a translation in Thai language by of professional Thai company

In 1989 the Thai Immigration still accepted this

5) it could be that now a legalisation of the Thai document has to be done at the Thai Foreign Ministry at Chaengwattana

 

 

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, fvw53 said:

5) it could be that now a legalisation of the Thai document has to be done at the Thai Foreign Ministry at Chaengwattana

As far as the UK is concerned legalisation is performed by the Thai Embassy in London but the document then needs to be stamped by the MOFA in Bangkok:-

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

 

[OJAS]

On 5/19/2022 at 3:32 PM, woodsplinter said:

Looking into this now and reluctantly maybe have to send her back down to the Thai embassy in London 

I have not told her yet .That will please her!

Ideal preparation for the gruelling trip which you and she may need to make to the MOFA offices in Bangkok in order to get your legalised document stamped!

 

[woodsplinter]

Thanks OJAS

 

More good news!

 

[soi3eddie]

13 hours ago, woodsplinter said:

If i do not receive the documents before we leave my sister will air courier the docs out to Thailand.

Highly recommend DHL if that is the case. They have good coverage and service in both UK and Thailand. I have used them from Thailand to UK and service was excellent.

 

[JimTripper]

Are you coming in on a 30 day entry or a toursit visa?

 

Don't you need 800k baht in a thai bank for months before you apply for a retirement visa?

That's not going to work flying in on a 30 day, because I don't think it can be extended.

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Don't you need 800k baht in a thai bank for months before you apply for a retirement visa?

That's not going to work flying in on a 30 exempt, because I don't think it can be extended.

 

You will need a  regular tourist visa to obtain approval for a retirement visa???

Correct information is already shared if you take your time to read. 
 

To answer your question, yes you can arrive on visa exempt and end up with retirement without leaving the country. I did as well. 

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Don't you need 800k baht in a thai bank for months before you apply for a retirement visa?

He would be applying for a non O retirement and the money only needs to be in the bank on the day you apply.

That visa gives you a 90 day stay and with the 800k having been in the bank for 2 months he can apply for 12 month extension.